The Bush administration has been flying
surveillance drones over Iran for nearly a year to seek evidence of
nuclear weapons programs and detect weaknesses in air defenses,
according to three U.S. officials with detailed knowledge of the secret
effort. The small, pilotless planes, penetrating Iranian airspace from
U.S. military facilities in Iraq, use radar, video, still photography
and air filters designed to pick up traces of nuclear activity to
gather information that is not accessible by satellites, the officials
said. The aerial espionage is standard in military preparations for an
eventual air attack and is also employed as a tool for intimidation.
The Iranian government, using Swiss channels in the absence of
diplomatic relations with Washington, formally protested the incursions
as illegal, according to Iranian, European and U.S. officials, all
speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of
the matter. A U.S. official acknowledged that drones were being used
but said the Iranian complaint focused on aircraft overflights by the
Pentagon. The United States, the official said, replied with a denial
that manned U.S. aircraft had crossed Iran's borders. The drones were
first spotted by dozens of Iranian civilians and set off a national
newspaper frenzy in late December over whether the country was being
visited by UFOs. The surveillance has been conducted as the Bush
administration sharpens its anti-Iran rhetoric and the U.S.
intelligence community searches for information to support President
Bush's assertion that Tehran is trying to build nuclear weapons. [more]